Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu (born Hüseyin Kıvrık, 1934) is a retired Turkish general who was the 23rd commander of the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...

and on August 30, 1998, became

Chief of the Turkish General Staff The Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces () is the chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces (). He is appointed by the President of Turkey, who is the commander-in-chief. The position dates to the period of the ...

for a four-year term.

Biography

Born in

Bozüyük Bozüyük () is a city in Bilecik Province in the Marmara region of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Eu ...

Bilecik Province Bilecik Province () is a province in midwest Turkey, neighboring Bursa to the west, Kocaeli and Sakarya to the north, Bolu to the east, Eskişehir to the southeast and Kütahya to the south. Its area is 4,179 km2, and its population is ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, in December 1934, he completed his secondary schooling at the Işıklar Military High School in

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

. He graduated from the Army Academy in 1955 as an artillery officer. Upon commissioning, Kıvrıkoğlu underwent his officer's basic training at the Artillery Branch School in 1957. He spent the next eight years in a variety of artillery units as platoon and battery commander positions. Following his staff officer education at the Army War College in 1965–1967, Kıvrıkoğlu was posted to the 9th Infantry Division in

Sarıkamış Sarıkamış or Sarikamish (, ) is a town in Kars Province in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Sarıkamış District.Kars Kars ( or ; ; ) is a city in northeast Turkey. It is the seat of Kars Province and Kars District.� ...

, as a staff officer, where he served until 1970. After graduating from the Armed Forces College in 1970, he served as planning officer at Operations Division of the

Allied Forces Southern Europe The Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples) is a NATO military command based in Lago Patria, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy. It was activated on 15 March 2004, after effectively redesigning its predecessor command, Allied Forces Southe ...

(AFSOUTH) at

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Between 1972 and 1973, he served as instructor at the Army War College and as section chief at the Turkish General Staff and branch chief at the Turkish Land Forces Command. Kıvrıkoğlu commanded the

Cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

Regiment of the Army Academy in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

from 1978 to 1980. After graduating from the

NATO Defence College NATO Defense College (NDC) is the international military college for NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries. It is located in Rome, Italy. History The idea of a NATO Defense College originated with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, t ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy, he was promoted to brigadier general in 1980 and assigned to

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. SHAPE is situated in the villag ...

(SHAPE) in

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, where he served as the chief of operations center from 1980 to 1983. Upon returning to Turkey, he assumed the Command of the 3rd Training Infantry and 11th Infantry Brigades between 1983 and 1984 respectively. In 1984, Kıvrıkoğlu was promoted to major general and assigned to NATO

Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe The Allied Land Command (LANDCOM), formerly Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (LANDSOUTHEAST), is the standing Staff (military), headquarters for NATO land forces which may be assigned as necessary. The Commander of LANDCOM is the primary Gr ...

(LANDSOUTHEAST) in

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

, where he served as chief of staff. Later, he commanded the 9th Infantry Division in Sarıkamış from 1986 to 1988. In 1988, he was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

and became assistant chief of staff, personnel, at the

Turkish General Staff The General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri Genelkurmay Başkanlığı'', ''abbreviation: TSK Gnkur. Bşk.lığı'') is the highest staff organization in the Turkish Armed Forces. Chief ...

. From 1990 to 1993, he commanded the 5th Corps and then served as undersecretary of

Ministry of National Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

. In 1993, Kıvrıkoğlu was promoted to

full General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online. ...

. He then assumed the Command of NATO LANDSOUTHEAST, where he served until 1996, and later he commanded the

Turkish First Army The First Army of the Republic of Turkey () is one of the four field armies of the Turkish Army. Its headquarters is located at Selimiye Barracks in Istanbul. It guards the sensitive borders of Turkey with Greece and Bulgaria, including the str ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

until 1997. Prior to becoming commander of the Turkish Armed Forces, he served as commander of the Land Forces in 1997–1998. There are rumours that Kıvrıkoğlu survived an assassination attempt in 1997's "Toros-2/97" exercise in

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...

. The bullet intended for him killed Colonel (Albay) Vural Berkay instead. Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu served between August 30, 1998, and August 28, 2002, as the 23rd

Awards

Decorations

*(Turkish) State Medal of Honor *

Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service () was first created on July 27, 1967 and took its current form on July 29, 1983. Technical specifications General Five large and five small stars on dark blue background circling an insignia of ...

* Order of Distinction Medal (Hilal-i-Jur'at, Pakistan) *

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the Order of Michael the Brave. It is the oldest Order of Romania. It is awarded by the Preside ...

– The Rank of Grand Cross *Class One Commander's Cross of

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland () is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident abroad. As such, it is sometimes referred to as ...

Order of National Security Merit The Order of National Security Merit (Hangul: 보국훈장) is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of national security." Grades The order ...

, Tongil Medal of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

*Friendship Medal of

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Republic *

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

's Flag Medal * Azerbaijan's

Shohrat Order Shohrat Order (), translated as ''Order of Glory'', is an award presented by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. History and status The order was created by the Decree No. 757 of the President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev and ratified ...

Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor () is the highest medal that can be bestowed upon an individual by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and was first created on July 27, 1967. Technical specifications General Five large and five small gold ...

Badges

*Army Academy Graduation Badge *Post Graduate Badge *Training and Educational Success Badge *Operational Success Badge *Administration and Logistics Service Badge *NATO Service Badge *Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces Identification Badge.

References

Kivrikoglu, Gen. Huseyin
''

International Who's Who ''The International Who's Who'' is a Who's Who series of reference books of notable people worldwide that has been published annually since 1935. History The first edition was published in 1935 by Europa Publications. The eighth edition (1943– ...

''. accessed September 4, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kivrikoglu, Huseyin 1934 births Living people People from Bozüyük Turkish Military Academy alumni Army War College (Turkey) alumni Turkish Army generals Commanders of the Turkish Land Forces Chiefs of the Turkish General Staff Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Order of National Security Merit members Recipients of the Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Distinguished Service Commanders with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Recipients of the Shohrat Order Recipients of the Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor